Johnson's Missouri State Militia Battery Light Artillery.

Attached to 1st Missouri State Militia Cavalry.

SOURCE: Frederick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, Part 3, p. 1319

1st Missouri State Militia Cavalry

Organized in Missouri at large February 3 to April 9, 1862. Companies "A" and "B" in Davies County, Company "C" in Sullivan County, "D" in Putnam County, "E" in Gentry County, "F" in Linn County, "H" in De-Kalb County, "I" in Harrison County and "K" in Lundy County. Company "L" organized in Andrew and Buchanan Counties and attached May, 1863. Company "M" organized in Worth and Gentry Counties and attached July, 1863. Regiment attached to District of Central Missouri, Dept. of Missouri, to July, 1863. District of the Border, Dept. of Missouri, to January, 1864. District of Central Missouri, Dept. of Missouri, to July, 1865. Headquarters at Lexington till March, 1863. (4 Cos. at Sedalia, Mo., November, 1862, to April, 1863.) At independence till April, 1863. At Harrisonville till May, 1863. At Warrensburg till June, 1863. At Lexington till October, 1863. At Warrensburg till July, 1865, operating against Cash's, Davis', Kirk's, Merrick's, Marchbank's, Ballou's, Porter's, Poindexter's, Quantrell's and Cockrell's guerrillas.

SERVICE. — Expedition to Spring Hill May 24, 1862 (Cos. "G" and "K"). Sear's House and Big Creek Bluffs, near Pleasant Hill, July 11 (Cos. "A," "C" and "D"). Clark's Mills July 30 (2 Cos.). Grand River August 1 (Battalion). Operations on Missouri River August-- (Detachment). Near Cravensville August 5. Kirksville August 5-6. Panther Creek and Walnut Creek August 8. Near Stockton August 8 (Detachment). Sear's Ford, Chariton River, August 9 (Detachment). Expedition from Camp Gamble against guerrillas August 12-18. Putnam September 1. Strother's Fork of Black River September 13. Syracuse October 14. Expedition from Independence to Greenton, Chapel Hill and Hopewell October 24-26 (Cos. "E" and "H"). Operations in Jackson and Lafayette Counties October 26-29 (Detachment). Blue Springs, near Independence, March 22. Sedalia April 9, 1863. Hog Island May 18 (Detachment). Near Wellington June 17. Near Papinsville June 23 (Detachment). Saline County July 30. Near Lexington July 30 (Cos. "C," "I" and "K"). Stumptown August 2 (Cos. "F," "G" and "H"). Scout from Lexington to Hopewell August 6-9 (Detachment). Dayton August 10 (Detachment). Near Wellington August 14 (Detachment). Operations against Quantrell's Raid into Kansas August 20-28. Big Creek, near Pleasant Hill, August 22. Scouts in Lafayette County and skirmishes September 22-25 (Cos. "B," "H," "L" and "M"). Operations against Shelby September 22-October 26. Booneville October 11-12. Jonesborough October 12. Merrill's Crossing and Dug Ford near Jonesborough, October 12. Marshall, Arrow Rock Blackwater, October 13. Syracuse October 14. Greenton Valley, near Hopewell, October 21 (Detachment of Co. "B"). Near Lexington November 4 (Detachment) Scouts in Jackson County January 15-17, 1864 (Detachment). Lexington February 22. Operations about Warrensburg February 22-24 (Detachment). Scout from Lexington March 19-22. Scouts in Jackson and Lafayette Counties and skirmishes March 20-30 (Detach merits). Deep Water Township March 27. Near Greenton March 30 (Co. "F"). Offett's Knob April 28. Skirmishes in Johnson County April 28-30 (Cos. "D" and "M"). Scout from Warrensburg May 23-25. Near Shanghai May 27 (Detachment). Scout from Warrens burg to North Blackwater River June 5-9 (Co. "I") Near Kingsville June 12 (Detachment). Lexington June 14 (Cos. "F" and "I"). Lafayette County June 14 (Detachment). Attack on Arrow Rock July 20. Operations in Lafayette and Johnson Counties and skirmishes July 20-31 (Co. "E"). Scout in Saline County August 6-9 (Detachment). Arrow Rock August 7 (Detachment). Saline County August 13 (Co. "H"). Operations in Lafayette, Saline and Howard Counties August 13-22. Near Lexington August 19 (Co. "A"). Dover August 20. Davis Creek August 22. The Tabo August 22. Operations on Texas Prairie, Jackson County, August 25-30. Near Warrensburg September 9 (Detachment). Near Lexington September 18 (Detachment). Near Longwood September 22 (Detachment). Blackwater September 23 (1st Battalion). Prince's Shoals, Osage River, Cole County, October 5-6. Moreau Bottom, Jefferson City, October 7. Near Jefferson City October 8. California October 9. Booneville October 9-12. Sedalia October 15. Little Blue October 21. Independence, Big Blue and State Line October 22. Westport October 23. Mine Creek, Little Osage River, Mafias des Cygnes, October 25. Engagement at the Marmiton or Battle of Chariot October 25. Escort prisoners from Fort Scott to Warrensburg, Mo., October 26-November 1. Near Fort Scott October 28. At Warrensburg and Pleasant Hill, Cass County, operating against guerrillas in Central District of Missouri till July, 1865. Scout from Warrensburg to Greenton Valley November 29-December 3, 1864 (Detachment). Near Lexington January 11, 1865. Scout from Camp Grover to Texas Prairie January 12-15. Scout from Warrensburg to Snibar Hills January 18-22 (Detachment). Scout from Warrensburg to Wagon Knob, etc., February 1-5 (Detachment). Old members mustered out February and March, 1865. Recruits consolidated to a Battalion of 2 Companies. Near Lone Jack March 12 (Detachment). Scout from Lexington March 20-22 (Detachment). Near Pleasant Hill May 3 (Detachment). Mustered out July 12, 1865.

Regiment lost during service 2 Officers and 71 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 67 Enlisted men by disease. Total 142.

SOURCE: Frederick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, Part 3, p. 1302

Civil War Letter Home Asks Pertinent Question

By Dave Rasdal

As we celebrate Independence Day, this in the 150th year since the start of the Civil War, I find it appropriate to reminisce with some readers about relatives who fought in the war between the states. They are readers who responded to my call for war letters sent home — keep them coming, please, for I’ll do this again.

I also find it interesting that July 4, 1861, was but 85 years after the declaration of Independence issued to Great Britain on July 4, 1776. Feasibly, someone could have lived through both.

Lola Fortner of Marion sent a letter from her great-great-uncle Richard Andrews, to an aunt and uncle Nov. 26, 1863, from a camp near Memphis.

He writes (I’ve corrected direct quotes) that he’s happy to be “among the living” but hasn’t heard from anyone for a while so decided to write. He had been in the Army two years, so filled them in on his adventures including the Battle of Shiloh on April 6—7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee.

“Dear uncle,” he says, “I am in hopes that I never will have to witness another such battle for two days. There hardly was any cessation of roaring of musketry and cannon and after we had fought over the ground Sunday and Monday the dead lay very thick. Such a sight I never saw nor do I ever want to again.”

He describes a later battle where “the rebs” charged a front three times before giving up and says he’s preparing to winter in Memphis. Then he gets a philosophical.

“Dear uncle, I do not know how you stand on war questions, whether you are in favor of arming the Negroes or not. I will give you my opinion of it. I think that arming the Negroes is the best thing they ever done toward putting down The Rebellion. And I want The Rebellion put down.

“I was utterly opposed to interfering with the slaves until they forced the war on us, and now I say strike it down.”

Later he adds, “Dear uncle it is hard for a man to be away from his family but I am in hopes that it will not be long till I will be permitted to return home and enjoy the sweets of peace again.”

Lola also sent an affidavit confirming the discharge of her great great grandfather, Matthew Steen (left), after he suddenly became ill in the head and blind after a skirmish in Missouri. Hauled away in an ambulance, he later “had to be led to his meals and about his house.”

Under the category war is hell, but it’s what we’re used to, comes a tale from Norman Jellison of Cedar Rapids who sent a 1943 clipping from the Decorah Journal about Civil War veterans on her mother’s side.

George Linnevold, who enlisted in the Iowa Infantry in 1861, (his brother, Andrew enlisted in 1862) had a few harrowing experiences as he served the duration of the war. For one, he was taken for dead when he collapsed on a street in Vicksburg of sun stroke. And later, in St. Louis, he and comrades “trembled with fright” at the prospect of facing a southern “guerrilla band” that had “demoniacal brigands of outlaws.” But the funny part came upon his return home after his mother prepared a special bed for him and a friend.

“Among other special touches, she placed a fine thick feather tick on the bed. The returning soldiers, who had not slept on a bed for three years, rolled and tossed in the soft bed, unable to rest on such luxuriance. Finally they scrambled out of the bed, stretched out on the floor with their boots under their heads, pulled their army blankets up over their prone bodies in the wonted style and dropped off in sound slumber.”

Comments: (319) 398-8323; dave.rasdal@sourcemedia.net

SOURCE:  Posted HERE July 4, 2011 at Eastern Iowa Life. Used with permission.